INTERMEDIATE BUILD BELL AH-1Z VIPER
Duncan Cooke builds Academy’s newly tooled 1/35 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter as a shark-mouth adorned airframe
Bell Helicopters’ AH-1Z Viper is based upon the AH-1W Super Cobra, developed originally for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as part of the H-1 helicopter upgrade programme. With a four-blade, bearingless composite main rotor assembly, uprated transmission and a new targeting system, the AH-1Z is the latest member of the infamous ‘Huey’ family and is also referred to as the ‘Zulu Cobra’ in military circles. The AH-1Z made its first flight on December 8, 2000 with a final operational declaration being made by the USMC in September 2010. Full-scale production was approved in December 2010, with the Marines planning to receive a total of 189 Vipers until 2022. These include 131 AH-1W upgraded into AH-1Z and 58 new-build airframes, priced at US$27-31m each. In early 2019 it was confirmed 12 further examples of the type would be supplied to Bahrain as part of a US$911.4m contract to include weaponry and related equipment.
First impressions
Academy’s 1/35 AH-1Z is one of those rare kits that produced a “wow” upon opening; the use of slide-moulding was quite …
